BRENHAM — Blue Bell Creameries will resume distributing ice cream to select markets in Texas and Alabama this month after halting sales and production following listeria contamination.

The Brenham, Texas-based company said Monday that it plans to re-enter parts of 15 states in five phases. The first phase, which starts Aug. 31, will include the Brenham, Houston and Austin areas in Texas and the Birmingham and Montgomery areas in Alabama.

The Blue Bell production facility in Sylacauga, Alabama, began producing ice cream in July. Production facilities in Brenham and Broken Arrow, Okla., are still undergoing upgrades similar to those made at the Alabama plant.

Blue Bell in April voluntarily recalled all products after its treats were linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas.

Home burglary suspect killed in Southeast Texas

BEAUMONT — Authorities say a Southeast Texas homeowner has fatally shot a masked burglary suspect after a confrontation in the kitchen.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said they got a call early Monday morning about a burglary of a home in the small community of Hamshire.

The homeowner told police that after being awoken by his dog barking, he retrieved his pistol and went into his kitchen. He then he confronted the suspect, who had a bandanna covering his face. Authorities say the homeowner fired several shots and then the suspect ran away.

Deputies found the suspect lying in a yard down the street and being held at gunpoint by neighbors.

He suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities are continuing to investigate.

Burning body found on road

SAN ANTONIO — Authorities are investigating after a burning body was found on a Central Texas road.

The Bexar County sheriff's office said that a driver called authorities early Monday morning after spotting a fire on a road. Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire but the body was burned too badly to confirm cause of death or the victim's sex.

The Bexar County medical examiner's office is working to determine the victim's identity and cause of death.

Dog found tortured to death on playground

SUNSET VALLEY — Police in a small Central Texas town say a Chihuahua has been found tortured to death on an elementary school playground.

Police in Sunset Valley, located just southwest of Austin, say people playing basketball discovered the dog on Sunday morning on the playground behind Sunset Valley Elementary School.

Officer James Brownlow tells KTBC television station in Austin that the dog had obvious signs of trauma. He says, "We could definitely tell that it was intentional. So we processed the scene and collected evidence from there."

Police haven't found any information yet on who might have owned the dog.

Officers said if the dog's owner is not located the animal will be given a proper burial.

Child drownings over weekend include 4-year-old

FORT WORTH — Authorities say a 4-year-old boy died over the weekend after being found floating in a backyard pool in North Texas, while a 14-year-old's body was pulled from a Southeast Texas lake after he didn't resurface.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Tarrant County medical examiner's office says the 4-year-old was pronounced dead at a hospital Sunday after being found in the pool Saturday in North Richland Hills.

His was second child drowning death in the county within three days. A 3-year-old from Haltom City died Friday after being found in a pool Wednesday.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services counts more than 60 child drownings in Texas this year. Last year, there were 73.

The Orange County sheriff's office says the 14-year-old's body was found Sunday.

Wildfire burns thousands of acres

SAN ANGELO — An official says a wildfire that's burned about 5,500 of acres of ranchland over the weekend in West Texas is expected to be contained by the end of the day.

Tom Green County emergency services manager Steve Mild said that fire crews had been able to contain about 50 percent of the fire by midday Monday and are expected to get around the entire fire by the end of the day.

Lightning on Friday afternoon started the fire. Mild says that one unoccupied house and one barn have burned. He said that about 75 homes near the small community of Christoval were threatened at one point on Saturday, but are now out of danger.The Christoval community located just south of San Angelo.Austin panel set to consider water fluoridation proposal AUSTIN— Austin officials are set to consider a water fluoridation proposal from a city councilman, who wants the practice to end by December.The city has fluoridated its water for several decades, and public health officials say that it's one of the primary ways to combat tooth decay, the Austin American-Statesman said.But anti-fluoride activists contend that drinking the treated water can damage a person's bones and lower intelligence levels.Councilman Don Zimmerman said it's "unethical" to force residents to drink fluoridated water, and his resolution is set to go before the council's Public Utilities Committee this week. The Health and Human Services Committee also will consider the issue.The first city to add fluoride to its water was Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945. Researchers monitored children there and in another community without a fluoridation program over 15 years, finding that those who drank the fluoridated water were less likely to experience tooth decay.Federal officials say 67 percent of Americans drink fluoridated water, but cities across the nation have chosen not to fluoridate their water. Voters in Portland have rejected fluoridating city water four times since 1956. Residents in College Station and Elgin have voted to end the practice, and a group in San Marcos has been pushing for a vote on prohibiting water fluoridation.Austin has fluoridated its water since 1973, after a public vote on the issue prior, though the level has changed at least once.The Austin Water Utility last changed its target in 2008 to 0.7 milligrams per liter, which is the same level in a new recommendation the federal government finalized this summer. The previous recommendation was 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter.The water utility adds fluorosilicic acid, which is heavily diluted, to increase the naturally occurring level of fluoride in the water, said Jane Burazer, assistant director of the utility's treatment program.Operator facing federal charges for deadly platform blast NEW ORLEANS— Oil platform operator Black Elk Energy is facing federal criminal charges in connection with a November 2012 explosion off Louisiana's coast that left three workers dead and others badly injured.Multiple media outlets report that U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite Jr. of the Eastern District in Louisiana filed a six-count criminal complaint against Houston-based Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations last week.Polite says Black Elk and its contractors failed to comply with federal safety regulations on the platform, located about 20 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana.The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued a report in November 2013 that said storage tanks weren't properly purged of flammable liquid before the crew began welding nearby.A lawyer for Black Elk, Matt Chester, declined a request for comment from The Advocate newspaper.